I Promise You the Sun
by Monica Sky
Summary: Sam and Quorra have managed to escape back Clu's grasp, landing them in the world of the users. While Sam is perfectly comfortable, Quorra is stuck in a new setting, forced to begin a new life. How will she manage in her new world? Will she be happy?
1. It's Just Water

**Quorra's POV**

It was only a few moments ago that Sam and I were on the Grid, mere inches away from Clu. We managed to escaped, but Flynn sacrificed himself, using the process of reintegration to erase the evil program. So here I am, standing in the user world, breathing in the user world. I looked around and Flynn was right, this world looked nothing like the Grid. There were so many colors everywhere, even though it was dark out. It was beautiful really. And then there was me. My clothes had changed completely, probably when I was transported here. It was weird, but in a cool and interesting way. I've never worn anything else besides what I had on the Grid. Seeing all of these new clothes was amazing and they looked like they were interchangeable. Flynn did tell me of the clothes in his world. Users had many different "outfits" (as he called them), especially girls, and they would change into a new outfit each day. How fascinating.

I saw Sam walking out of the building that we were transported to. Flynn told me that long ago, it was his arcade, which pretty much meant a building filled with games that people would come and play, "What's next Sam?"

"I guess we're supposed to change the world," he answered, walking closer to me. "Come on. I want to show you something." After that, he passed me to get on his bike. I followed instructions even though I wanted to ask him so many things. What's this world like? How are we changing the world? What are you going to show me?

He started his bike up and we drove off. I held onto his waist tight, scared to fall off. This vehicle was very similar to a light cycle, but this didn't leave a trail of light behind it. On the other hand, we only used the light when we were forced to use our cycles for battle. Users probably don't have those types of games here.

"Can I ask you a question Sam Flynn?" I decided to ask while we drove down an empty street.

"Sure, go for it," he answered. I couldn't tell if he was smiling since I couldn't see his face, but it was like I could tell he was smiling just by his voice.

"Why is it dark out? Flynn told me that the user world, the skies were a bright blue and the streets were filled with cars and users."

"Don't worry Quorra," he laughed. I felt embarrassed and stupid so I buried my face in his jacket. "Dad was talking about the day. Right now, it's the middle of the night. The sun is out and the skies are blue during the day and when it turns nighttime, the moon comes out and the skies darken. Most people are asleep at this time so I'm afraid you won't see a lot of people around. The sun will be out soon though, I promise you that."

"Flynn did mention night. It's very beautiful," I added as I turned my neck so that my cheek rested upon his back. It was pretty comfortable, especially with the wind blowing up against me.

"Yeah, I like the night. It's silent and nice, but I have a feeling you're gonna like when it's bright out."

"I'll be the judge of that," I laughed.

We continued driving for a while and I could even see the sun beginning to rise as we crossed a long bridge. I looked around, taking it all in. Sam was absolutely right; the sun was like nothing else I've ever seen before. It was huge and it colored the sky with pinks and purples and yellows as well as a light blue.

Finally, Sam began to slow down as we turned onto a road that was very bumpy. It wasn't like the other roads that were grey and flat. This one was brown and full of rocks.

"Sam, why is this road so bumpy?" I asked, curiosity getting the better of me.

"It's not paved."

"Paved? What does that mean?"

"It just means that the road isn't covered in asphalt. The others were and that's why they were flatter and smoother."

"So…" I began again, trying to make sense of it. "You're going off terrain?"

He laughed again, so I must've said something funny, "You could say that."

"Are you going to change modes on your bike?"

"I'm afraid not," he answered. "This bike isn't like your light runner, Quorra. It can't change modes."

"Oh…sorry," I whispered, feeling stupid again. I don't know how people could live in this world. It's so difficult.

"It's no problem. You just got here, it's gonna take a bit to adjust," he assured me, stopping the bike on the end of the road. I got off and looked around. It was different from where we were before. Based on what Flynn had told me, we were surrounded by trees. We stood on the edge of a little cliff and when I walked to the edge, I saw water for miles. "I can't believe it," I thought aloud.

"What was that?" Sam asked, catching up with me after parking his bike.

"Sam, look it's water," I said, pointing. "And there's so much of it!"

He looked confused when he responded, "I thought you had water on the Grid. My dad had a pool at the safe house and there was that sea we crossed to get to the portal."

"I know, I know," I answered, shaking my head. "That's not real water. We don't have this on the Grid. What you saw was merely a large collection of pixels. The sea we crossed, the Sea of Simulation, is the largest pool of free flowing pixels on the Grid. No programs have even considered touching the water, fearing the gridbugs that might be inside."

"Gridbugs?" Sam asked, crossing his arms. It was kind of funny really, him asking questions when I was stuck in a new setting. "What are those?"

"Um…they're pretty self explanatory. Bugs on the Grid," I said unsurely, not really knowing how to answer. "But programs try to avoid them at all costs. They can hack into your system and cause glitches. Not fun man."

Suddenly, Sam burst out into laughter. Did I say something wrong again? He calmed down a bit when he saw the worried expression on my face, "Sorry, you just sounded like my father for a second."

"Oh, I get it," I replied, laughing along as well. I sat on the edge of the cliff, swinging my legs back and forth. Everything was so perfect, the water, the sun, just everything.

Sam smiled as he sat down next to me, "What do you think? The sun…it's beautiful, right?"

"Yes. It's beyond words Sam Flynn. I love it."

**I can't believe that I just saw Tron: Legacy a little while ago. It's different from what I'm used to doing, but I think I'll like the challenge. Sam's a new character type for me, being all aloof, and Quorra is just too quirky and adorable. So yeah. That's it for this chapter. I know it's kind of boring, but I really couldn't think of a better ending. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this little chapter and there will definitely be more to come.**


	2. Energy Drinks and Doctor Who

**A/N: I'm having too much fun with these titles. Anyways, proceed...**

**Sam'****s POV**

Hanging out with Quorra in this world was really great. On the Grid, we were both so worked up, afraid Clu would trap us on the Grid while he and his army paraded around in my world. It was different now. There was virtually no threat, unless you counted occasionally getting a bit wet from a wave that splashed up higher than the others.

Quorra slapped her hands on her stomach, "Sam?!"

"Yeah?" I asked. My smile faded a bit when I looked over to find her pale white, as if she'd just seen a ghost. "Quorra, you alright?"

"Um…I think my stomach just vibrated," she replied, still worried. "Yes, it feels like it's shaking again and it doesn't feel good. It's making this really weird sound too."

"You're just hungry Quorra. Happens when you don't eat for a while," I laughed. She's so cute, even when she's worried. She looks like the perfect woman, but she has the mindset of a childhood sometimes. How is that even possible? I'm not totally sure, but she sure pulls it off. "We ate on the Grid in the safe house. Haven't you ever gotten hungry when you didn't eat anything?"

"Well, yes and no. On the Grid, we usually have tiny tubes of energy that we can take in. I guess you could call them energy drinks," she answered, chuckling at her own little joke. "If programs don't have these 'energy drinks', they become exhausted and their power supply drains. The food was saved for special occasions and because we had the energy drinks, the food we ate was not really necessary. Although, your father felt that eating food that you were used to was better than drinking beverages that we were used to. It's really complicated, but do you know what I mean?"

"Uh…yeah. The food isn't necessary and you have energy drinks. We actually have energy drinks here too, but keep in mind, they're not that good for you and you still need to eat actual food," I answered, my stomach beginning to growl too. "I guess all this talk about food is making me hungry. Why don't we go out to eat? I'll show you what fast food is. Then we can go back to my place and relax."

Quorra almost immediately jumped up, her grin practically reaching both ends of her face and her teeth glistening a brilliant white, "I've heard of this 'fast food' before. Flynn told me stories of these people, skillfully preparing a full meal in just a few minutes. He also said how much you loved this type of food."

If I laughed any harder than I was laughing now, I might've stopped breathing. This girl is absolutely hilarious and she doesn't try at all. Something about her childish personality just makes her so…appealing. "Come on, let's go," I said, getting up and heading over to the bike.

She followed me onto the bike, wrapping her arms around my waist. Yeah, she had a tight grip around me, but for some reason, I didn't really mind that much. I could still ride my motorcycle and that's all that really mattered. It didn't take me long to get back in the city since I have a habit for ignoring speed limits where there are no cops. I drove to a McDonald's that pretty close to my house. I didn't really feel like driving somewhere miles away when there's food so close. When I parked the bike, Quorra hopped off, staring at the small building.

"It's so nice. Can we go in Sam Flynn?" she asked, her eyes switching focus between me and the building.

I shrugged, "I don't see why not."

Before I could even finish my sentence, the girl was already rushing across the parking lot. I ran over to catch up, but she was already inside by the time I reached the door. "Excuse me," she said, trying to get the attention of the boy standing a little bit away from the window.

"One second lady," he said, holding his index finger up in the traditional 'one second' gesture. He wasn't actually doing anything, unless you count nothing as something. I just stood by the door to see how this would play out.

"Oh okay," Quorra said, looking at the clock to see the actual second pass by. "Um…what's good here?"

The boy smacked his palm to his face, beginning to turn around. "Lady, I said game a sec-" he shouted, stopping himself when he saw her. It's like he had a complete personality change because he managed to turn from a jerky teenage boy to a gentleman in three seconds flat. "What was that you said miss?"

"I'm sorry. You said to wait one second so I waited one second before responding again. I just asked what was good here," she answered shyly.

The boy chuckled, not actually realizing that she was being completely serious, "Well a lot of things are good here, but you seem to be the best."

I couldn't believe that this kid was being completely serious. He couldn't have been older than 17 and besides from age, he was scrawny and practically sickly white. Like he had a chance with a girl like her…

"Oh…um…thank you?" Quorra said, completely puzzled.

For some reason, I thought enough was enough. I walked over besides Quorra and looked down at the kid, "We'll just have a large thing of fries, three cheeseburgers, and two small caramel frappés. And we're gonna take that to go."

Again, Multiple Personality Boy switched moods from gentleman to disappointed adolescent, "That'll be $7.83…sir."

I handed him a ten dollar bill and dropped the change in a box for some foundation. I didn't actually see what foundation it was for, but I didn't really care. I led Quorra a bit to the side so we could wait for our food while the people behind us ordered. When he looked over, I hung my arm over her shoulder, pulling her the slightest bit closer. I grabbed the food when another worker brought it over and Quorra and I made our way out. "You know, that user was really nice once I gave him that one second," she whispered.

I handed her the drink and she gladly accepted it, "Have this first. It's harder to be on a motorcycle with a drink."

When she took her first sip, it's like her eyes brightened up, "It's really good. Flynn has told me what French fries and cheeseburgers look like so I'm assuming this is the frappé you spoke of earlier?"

"Yeah," I laughed, putting the food in a leather bag I had installed on the side of the bike. "I think if anything, this is my favorite thing to get. I find them kind of addicting. I'd drink them all day if I could."

Her whole body shook for a second then stopped, "It's so cold. It's really good, but cold."

"Just don't drink that too fast. You'll get a brain freeze," I warned her, my frappé already halfway gone.

She looked puzzled and took another sip, "Brain freeze. That's when your head hurts if you drink a cold beverage to fast?"

I nodded. I was actually lucky. I used to chew ice a lot as a kid and I think that's why I don't get brain freezes. We both leaned on the bike while we finished our drinks then I tossed them into a trash can nearby. I started up the engine and headed off and I wasn't absolutely sure, but I swear Quorra's grip got less tight.

Her reaction to my house was fantastic. Her jaw dropped when the door slide up and I walked the bike into the corner. I couldn't hold it against her though. It was still her first day. "Uh…welcome to my place. The couch is over there, TV's there too so you can just put whatever you want on and yeah…" I said, pointing to random places in my house. I pulled the food out of the bag and since the ride was short, the food was still hot. I sat down on the couch and she followed me, still smiling, "I'm not really sure what's on your TV, so just choose something you like and I'll watch it."

I nodded and turned the TV on, pulling all the food out. I placed the fries on the coffee table in front of us so we could share and I handed her a burger. I grabbed mine as well, unwrapping the paper it was held in, "Oh and by the way don't eat the paper. Doesn't taste good and it's probably not good for you either."

She nodded and she unwrapped her burger. Suddenly, it hit me. "Marvin!" I called out, whistling after. Soon after, I could hear tiny footsteps getting louder and louder and then high pitched barks were heard. Quorra looked around the room and Marvin jumped onto the couch, landing on her lap and nearly giving her a heart attack.

"So this is your dog? The rescue?" she said, her voice cracking a little bit. I probably should've warned her, but it didn't come to mind. Marv looked at her and then to me. "Have yourself a good time bud," I said tossing the third and final cheeseburger over to his dog bed. Marv barked again and jumped off of Quorra's lap to go eat. I don't know if this is Marvin's special talent or if some other dogs can do this, but Marv can unwrap a cheeseburger just as quick as I can. And that means either he's an awesome dog or I've fed him too many burgers.

"Yup, that's Marvin, the rescue. You can just call him Marv if you want."

"Oh okay," Quorra replied, taking her first bite out of her cheeseburger. "It's delicious. Users have such great food."

"Trust me, there's better food out there than what you're eating. I'll take you to some other places soon, I promise."

"Okay Sam Flynn."

I turned to the TV to see what was on. Luckily, it was on Doctor Who, and while I won't admit to being a nerd, this happened to be one of my favorite shows. Quorra seemed absolutely fascinated by it and I was glad that she enjoyed it too.

"What's this about? This user seems exceptional at what he does," she said, her eyes glued to the TV.

"Um…it's hard to explain. It's about this man, the Doctor, and he goes through time and space and helps people."

"A time traveler? So he goes through time and cures people? You said he was a doctor."

"Not exactly Quorra. That's just what people call him. This show, despite its name, has nothing to do with medicine."

"Wait," she said, baffled. "So why do people call him the Doctor? And what's his name? Flynn told me that if you address someone with Doctor, you should follow that with their name."

"Like I said, it's hard to explain," I answered, beginning to get a bit confused myself. It took me a second to process everything, but she looked like she wanted a full explanation of the show. "Okay, let's start this over in simplest terms. This man is the Doctor. Not Doctor something, just the Doctor. He's called the Doctor just because that's what he tells people to call him so that's what he's known by. That's blue box thing is his space ship and he calls it the TARDIS. That's what he travels through time with and even though it looks like a tiny blue box, it's massive inside. He got it because even though he looks human, he's an alien. So the Doctor travels around and helps people in need and saves different planets from aliens and monsters and stuff. He must've saved the Earth like a hundred times by now. So yeah…that's pretty much it."

Quorra nodded and I was surprised she actually got all of that, "This Doctor man seems quite heroic. I'd love to meet him one day."

"What? No, Quorra. The Doctor doesn't actually exist. He's a fictional character, like the people in your books. The man is just an actor. He plays the part of the Doctor so we can watch something interesting on TV," I explained. Geez, my father wasn't kidding when he said ISOs were profoundly naïve. "Didn't my father explain the TV while you were on the Grid? He'd been gone, but the TV had been around even before he disappeared."

"I think, but he said he didn't watch much TV and he liked watching documentaries. I just thought that this was one of them," the girl mumbled, embarrassed.

I felt bad that I kept making her upset. I got up and turned off the television, "How about we watch the sun set?"

Quorra, just as I expected, jumped up off of the couch in sheer joy. God, she was so predictable, but still there was that little something about her that kept me from getting irritated. "Actually, I'm gonna take a shower, but you can still go outside. Just press that button over there and you can walk out the back door," I said, pointing to the side of the door. She understood so I headed off to the bathroom.

I turned the water on the hottest it could go. It's been quite the day. Quorra…she's so different from everyone. Would it even be possible to adjust her to life here? I promised my father that I take her with me and we'd make a difference. I'm not letting him down. Maybe I'm just being impatient. Yeah, that's probably it. Tomorrow's a new day, a big day, and ENCOM will be waiting for me. Maybe I can just leave Quorra here and take her out shopping when I get back. She's gonna need some new…well new everything I suppose.

Before I knew it, my fingers were completely wrinkled, which meant that I'd been in the shower for quite a while. I guess I spaced out or something so I finished washing my hair. I slipped into a loose shirt and baggy sweatpants since I wasn't going out later. Plus, I wasn't really going to get dressed up just for Quorra. That would be ridiculous. Although for some reason, I did want to impress her. Suddenly I stopped in my tracks and the thought just hit me.

I have a crush on a computer program.

**Sorry that this chapter is kind of crappy. I wanted to get a second chapter in by yesterday, but I couldn't really think of anything so I just kind of wrote this. Haha It's almost 5 in the morning I can't believe it. I should really stop writing so late. I also noticed that when I stay up late writing, I begin drawing obvious influence from the things around me. Like the random trip to McDonald's, which came from the frappé that I was drinking. And then there was Doctor Who because that's just what watching for the past 5 hours (because I may or may not find David Tennant incredibly attractive…) Uh…anyways, enjoy this chapter (even though I think it's terrible) and I'll be putting up a new (and most likely way better) chapter up soon. And let's forget about what I said about David Tennant. That never happened…**


	3. The Concept of Love

**Sam's POV**

"Quorra?" I called out, walking down the hall. I didn't hear her so I called out again, a little louder. "Quorra? You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm more than fine, I feel great!" she yelled. I could hear her footsteps getting louder and I figured that she was running over. I was right since I saw her a few moments later. Quorra…she was completely soaked. From head to toe, no part of her body was even the slightest bit dry.

"Sam, it's raining outside! Isn't that wonderful?" she smiled, jumping up and down. "At least I think it's rain. I'm pretty sure it's rain. Oh my gosh, it's so cool. Water is falling out of the sky. How amazing is that? You said the water here isn't dangerous so I stayed outside. I feel fantastic…although I am a little cold right now. Actually, I'm freezing now. Does this always happen when you walk out of the rain?"

Jesus, she talked fast. I had a hard time keeping up with her, but luckily I still managed to get the general point. "Yeah, rain is cool. Still Quorra, you shouldn't just sit there," I warned her. It seemed a lot colder now, as if summer's heat decided to take a slight break. "I mean you can, but you can get sick if you keep going in and out of the rain."

"I'm…I'm so sorry Sam. I didn't know," the poor girl said, extremely upset.

Jesus, how was she supposed to know? I'm such an idiot. "Don't worry about it," I replied, smiling in hopes that she would forgive me. "Why don't you take a shower and we'll get you into something dry?"

"Kay!" she smiled. "Um…what's a shower?"

I laughed as I started to explain everything to her. When she was in the bathroom, I walked into my bedroom. Looking in the back of my closet, I saw a big box that I haven't touched in months. I can't honestly say that I'm the most innocent person out there. I've had my fair share of one night stands. It's just that I'm not so keen on relationships. Once a girl leaves, she normally doesn't come back and if she leaves something behind, then that's her own problem. I just end up tossing their things in this box. It's about time that I could actually use it for something.

"Sam?" I heard Quorra call out from down the hall. "What now?"

"Game a sec. I'll be right there," I answered as I headed out of my room. I knocked on the door to let her know I was there. "Can you wrap yourself in a towel before you open the door? They're the big rectangular pieces of cloth hanging by the shower."

"Kay!" the girl cheered as I heard her footsteps skipping throughout the room. Soon after, the door opened and I saw Quorra wrapped in a white towel that seemed to cover her body perfectly. I turned my head a bit so that she wouldn't see me start to blush.

"So there's a box in my room with clothes that you can toss on until we get your clothes dry. Feel free to look around, I don't really remember what's in there, but you can wear what you like until we go to the mall and get you your own clothes."

"I understand. Thank you Sam Flynn," she whispered, hugging me with one arm while holding her towel up with the other.

"N-No problem." I stuttered, my face feeling hotter and hotter with each passing moment.

Luckily Quorra didn't notice and she ran into my room, closing the door behind her. I grabbed her clothes and tossed it in the washing machine since they had quite the day. I could hear her talk to herself, wondering and pondering the mysteries behind each article of clothing. I just hoped that she would be able to figure out the mystery of putting on clothes correctly.

I plopped on the couch and closed my eyes, hoping I could get a moment of peace, but the raven haired girl walked down the hallway. When I looked at her, she looked like she was ready to go to the beach. She had a thin long sleeve on with short shorts and I could tell that she was wearing a bikini underneath.

"Is this outfit satisfactory?" she asked, tilting her head slightly to the side.

Was there even an answer to that? "If you're cool with it, then I guess so. I must admit though, it doesn't look like the most comfortable thing to wear."

"It's pretty comfortable, actually. I don't mind it at all. When Flynn was telling me stories of this world, he mentioned of this type of clothing, I believe he called it a bathing suit. He said that people wear it when they swim so they don't have to worry about wet clothes. I assume the rule still applies if it's raining outside?"

"I guess," I shrugged. "Most people don't wear bathing suits when it's just raining, but if you want to wear it, feel free to."

Quorra smiled and sat down next to me. I could remember the names of all the girls whose clothes Quorra was wearing. Lexi's see through shirt, Rachel's polka dot bikini, and Nicole's shorts. How could a woman even forget shorts anyways? It was funny, I could remember all of their names and what they had left, but I couldn't remember any of their faces. None would even be able to compare to Quorra anyway.

She asked to turn the TV back on so I handed her the remote, giving her the choice. She smiled and turned it onto Doctor Who, without even a moment of hesitation. I could tell she was very fond of the show, always asking questions, even if she knew I couldn't give an answer. I let out a soft yawn and I realized just how tired I really was.

"We should probably go to sleep soon," I mentioned.

"Okay. Can we finish this episode?" asking like a little girl.

"Sure, why not?" I laughed. "I don't think there are any pajamas in that box, but do you want something more comfortable to sleep in?"

She took a moment to think about it, as if it were some big choice, "Sure. That'd be nice."

"Be right back," I said, getting up and walking over to my room. I pushed the box over to the side of the room and looked through my drawers, pulling out one of my shirts that was a little big on me. If it was loose on me, it'd be a perfect length for her. I turned around to walk back down the hall, but Quorra was standing at my door already.

"Try this on. When you get changed, you can have the bed to sleep on. I can take the couch," I smiled, handing her the shirt.

She accepted the piece of clothing, but had a frown on her face, "I can't take the bed if you're sleeping on the couch. I can sleep there. I'm smaller so I'd fit better."

"Quorra, don't worry about it," I persisted. "It'll be fine."

"Please Sam Flynn, let me take the couch. I'll be fine, I promise."

I nodded, knowing that the argument could've gone on forever if I didn't agree with her. She was stubborn like that. Still adorable, but stubborn. She turned around and walked out so I shut the door behind her. I took a deep breath out, thinking about how different things will be.

I undressed and curled up in bed, absorbing the coolness of the sheets. So many thoughts were racing through my head and I was expected to be at ENCOM tomorrow, which meant that I couldn't stay up all night just so I can sort out a few thoughts. Maybe I can go there, leave Quorra here, come back, and take her shopping afterwards. I moaned into my pillow so Quorra couldn't hear me.

Life was totally different now. I was used to things just being about me and Marvin. Now Quorra's in the picture and it's like I have to teach her about being human from scratch. Sure, dad taught her a few things, but the world is so different from the way he left it. And if I do have feelings for the girl, how will that turn out? It will only complicate things, for sure. I feel like an idiot all of the time and whenever she asks me a question that I don't know the answer to, I feel like a complete moron. I'm sure that Quorra likes me, but not in the way I like her. Even if she did like me that way, she's an ISO, a program, trying to adjust to life as a human. She's busy with learning our ways, let alone her becoming involved with me. I don't even think she even understands the concept of love…

What am I going to do with her?

**A/N: So school is coming up soon so I won't be able to write as much, although I'll try too. Busy me procrastinated on some of the summer work so I have to finish that stuff out. Not to mention I get like a **_**billion**_** messages on Facebook from people wanting to know what lunch I have and if they have any classes with me.**

**Honestly, I just don't want to go back to school. I liked my summer, it was pretty cool. Got to see my best friend, which almost never happens, and she took me to Venice Beach in Los Angeles and then we went to Portugal with my aunt. What puzzles me is that I barely tanned and I was out for the majority of summer. I must be some vampire or something.**

**The last part was actually I thought I was having with my best friend about the movie. We were discussing how it was highly likely that Quorra does have feelings for Sam, even if it isn't directly shown. If Quorra kissed him in the movie, the relationship would've been too rushed, considering that Sam didn't even know her before the Grid and they were pretty much battling evil programs for the time he was there. We also thought that Quorra probably wouldn't kiss him anyways for a while. Flynn probably told her stories about love at one point or another, but it's hard to comprehend that sort of concept from a story. It'll probably take her a while to really understand, but I heard that they are going to be making a sequel to **_**Tron: Legacy**_** within the next few years or so, so I'm hoping that Quorra learns the dang lesson by then.**

**Anywho, this is a really long note and if you're still reading this, then you're super awesome. I hope you enjoyed the chapter and I hope to be updating relatively soon.**

**Don't be afraid to leave a review or to favorite or follow this…or me, whatever floats your boat. Haha I love hearing what you guys have to say and I know a few people who say that they're afraid to leave reviews because they think they'll sound stupid. Don't even worry about that. I won't judge you and I really do want to know what you think.**

**So I'm going to end things here before I end up typing a chapter length note. See you guys later. You're all super awesome~**


	4. The First Night

**Quorra's POV**

I sat up quickly, my dream scaring me awake. What terrified me more than the horror of the vision was that I couldn't remember any of it when I opened my eyes. Flynn told me of dreams and I was fascinated with the idea of them. On the Grid, you just close your eyes and go offline, at least that's what happens when you're a program. I never asked Flynn if he dreamed on a regular basis, but if this is what went on in his mind when he did dream, I couldn't feel sorrier for him.

I pressed my hands against my face. I was so hot and my face was wet. If I remember correctly, Flynn called this sweat. I swung my legs off of the couch and stood up, the only response being a slight creaking in the floors and a high pitched bark from Marvin. I picked him up to calm him down. "Shh. It's just me Marv. It's Quorra," I repeated over and over again. After a minute, I wondered if I was saying that more to convince the dog or to convince me. I don't know who I am anymore. I look the same, I sound the same, but I feel totally different. Marvin wriggled in my arms so I let him down to let him run off. I brushed the tips of my fingers down my cheek. My skin felt so soft and warm, whereas on the Grid, it was just…there. I stopped my hand on top of my chest. The beats of my heart were so fast and I wondered if it could manage to beat its way out of me.

The thoughts filling my mind bothered me so I shook my head and made my way to Sam's room. He was fast asleep and I didn't want to bother him. He looked so peaceful and happy. Was his dream a happy one or do all users look like that when they sleep? Flynn said that I was intellectually exceptional, but here I feel stupid. I don't understand anything at all and I feel like a black sheep. I let out a soft sigh as I slowly opened the door, still cautious to not wake up the sleeping boy, and sat down against the wall, hugging myself and placing my head on my knees. I stayed as quiet as I could, but I felt like crying until my eyes hurt. I came to the point where tears were gathering up in my eyes and I felt like I was in physical pain, still restraining myself for Sam's sake.

The slight creak of the bed bounced off of the room and I saw Sam roll over on his bed. "Quorra?" he said, his eyes still closed. "Is that you?"

"Yeah," I managed to say after a minute. I knew that my voice faltered and I just didn't have the strength to hide my sadness.

He sat up in his bed, stretching his body out as he opened his eyes. "Quorra, what are you doing? It's the middle of the night."

"I had my first dream."

"Well that's good. Dreams are nice," he chuckled, obviously still half functional. He stopped laughing when he didn't hear me laugh with him. "Quorra, what's wrong? What was your dream about?"

"I don't know. I don't remember it, but I remember that it was scary. It was the most terrifying thing I've ever seen and I can't remember it." I could feel the tears gathering up in my eyes, but I wouldn't let them pass. I've taken down armies of evil programs, but I can't handle a dream. What kind of a program am I?

"Quorra, you're not a program anymore, you're a human. We're not perfect and that's what makes us the way we are. You had a nightmare," Sam explained, his voice soft as he tried to comfort me. "Nightmares are pretty much like dreams, except scary. Everyone gets them and it's totally normal. You just have to realize that it's not really happening and they'll go away."

I nodded, feeling the slightest bit better. I took a deep breath, trying to relax, "I understand. Thank you Sam." I managed to smile as I closed my eyes. It's not real, it was just a dream. I repeated the thought over and over again to convince myself and my sadness started to fade away. Yawning, I realized just how tired I was, so I closed my eyes. Perhaps I could drift off into sleep and have a sweet dream this time and maybe I could look as happy and peaceful as Sam did.

"Quorra?" Sam whispered. "You didn't fall asleep there, did you?"

"No, Sam, just thinking," I answered. So many thoughts rushed through my head that even I became slightly confused. It was a bit surprising actually; it's not very often that I feel genuinely confused, that is, of course, if you exclude all of Flynn's lessons about the universe. "Might fall asleep though. I feel tired."

"And you're gonna sleep there?" he asked and I could hear him softly chuckling to himself.

"Yes. Usually if I couldn't think straight on the Grid, I would go to your father's room, sit against the wall, and drift away in thought. It seems strange," I said, beginning to laugh softly as well. "but I always felt safer when Flynn was in the room. It was like I could never fail as long as he was there to look over me."

"Yeah, same with me and dad when I was a kid. Wouldn't even let the man play on a different team than me when we were in the arcade."

My smile faded a bit as I realized the bitter truth, "You really miss your father, don't you?"

"Yeah, I miss him, some moments more than others, but the Grid was a good experience for me. Always thought that he just got up and left one day. Seeing him, even though I waited for so long, gave me a bit of closure. How about you?"

"Yeah…I mean, he wasn't my actual father since I'm not…wasn't human, but he was very fatherly to me," I answered quietly. Human…it still seems so strange to refer to myself as one. I yawned again and looking out the window, I saw the sky was practically pitch black aside from the moon. "Must be late out."

"Yeah," Sam sighed, looking out of the window as well. He smiled slightly at the moon and if I wasn't looking straight at him, I wouldn't have even noticed. "Come on, hop in."

I tilted my head and I figured I was making a weird face. What was I jumping on? "I…I don't understand what that means," I mumbled sheepishly.

"I mean, you are _not_ sleeping on the floor," he said, his voice turning a bit more serious. "That's just not how it works here."

"But Sam-"

"No buts Quorra," he interrupted. "We can share the bed for tonight and think of something tomorrow if you have another nightmare."

I was about to object, but I realized that Sam had to work tomorrow. I wondered what tomorrow would be like. Would every day be the same or would each be a new adventure, like I had been hoping for since the day I crossed paths with the Creator? Quietly sliding myself into the bed, I shivered from the cool sheets, but was soon welcomed by the heat that radiated from Sam's body. He was so warm and I couldn't help but move closer in.

"G'night Quorra." He was smiling, I could tell.

"Good night Sam Flynn," I whispered in response. I felt my lips slowly shifting into a small smile.

As scary as this new world is, I know one thing for sure: Sam Flynn will protect me.


End file.
